Friday with Queens

Going backward, I could not sleep. I took Benadryl for hives, and that stopped the itching, but that left me wired. Ugh! I think I managed a few hours of sleep.

Before that problem, I had been with Dondrea, Michael, and Jack on MAX, coming from the Chinatown stop to Beaver Creek. I was dressed in a boater hat (a recent purchase), a red vest with a pocket watch, and a tie. Dondrea was in a black dress, a loose jacket, and flats. Michael was Oregon casual. Jack looked great.

We met Ashley in Portland about 8 at Darcelle XV LLC, the longest-running Drag Show in the world (57 years). This is in a cramped older building, and I imagine it looks better late at night. One of the queens later said that they look better after a few drinks, and I think that is true of the single room with a small stage wedged in. To that end, Ashley bought the first round, and Jack bought us tickets (thanks to both). I believe I paid for my second drink. Sober was not a state to be in for a Portland drag show. I also purchased a stack of one-dollar bills from one of the queens to use as tips and distributed this to our group throughout the show. They were giving mostly away by the end of the show.

The show started with monitors playing RuPaul’s announcement that Darcelle XV LLC was the longest-running Drag Show in the world. Next, the show started with an intro dance routine, and we saw this was mostly a lip-sync show with routines that matched familiar and often sing-along rock songs. The MC of the show then asked about birthdays, events, and weddings and spent time letting people be called out. The show resumed.

The dancers, all Queens and made up to the max, were a mix of older and heavier gals and some younger, strong dancers. The songs were matched to the skills and looks. I knew most of them and was sang out loud for the Abba songs with hands in the air waving. There were lighted wings, and other Las Vegas looks. There was a pause, and the second half started. This half had a more rushed and sexy tone. There were some pushing the limits with fake genitalia that I thought was funny, surprising, and just enough to say, “Honey, you are at a Drag Show; get over it.”

I would say this is (a 21+ show) recommended for a fun night in Portland with friends who will not forget that it is a local Drag Show and not Las Vegas. The drinks were heavy on cheap booze, and it tasted of it. There is food on the menu, including a Darcelle Cheeseburger, which I did not try. It reminded me of a typical old-school dive.

Jack did much of the footwork and we all had a great time. Thanks, Jack.

Before this, we met at the MAX station at 6:45 and boarded the MAX into Portland. I still have the HOP app, as Michael did. We helped Dondrea get a day pass. We spent much of the trip chatting. I was next to Michael, and we talked about ancient history, as we often do. Michael was curious if I believed that Troy was a real place and that the stories about Troy were based on real events in Homer and other ancients. My take is that the Hittites should have matching stories in their ruins; Troy would have been in their empire, and so far, nobody has produced a Hittite text. It is hard to accept Troy as real if all we have are one-sided Greek legends. I also doubt that the current heavily dug sight of Troy is correctly identified as Troy.  I believe more work is needed in Turkey to explore this further.

MAX was familiar to me, and I helped our group know where they were and got us to the correct station.

Before MAX and Darcelle XV LLC, I was at the Volvo Cave. Due to the moderate air quality warning, I stayed inside for the day. I spent the morning, rising at 8ish, writing a very long blog. For breakfast, I had a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with cream cheese. I added some locally ground and roasted coffee and a banana to finish off breakfast. I was not hungry until the later afternoon.

I washed out my mopping bucket and soon mopped the kitchen floor, which needed attention. This was my workout instead of walking in the smokey air. I was breathing pretty heavily by the time I reached the limits of the small kitchen floor. The bucket water was dark. Yes, I need to do this on a more regular basis! I will mop the other floors in the next few days. Next, I vacuumed all the carpet. I did not move the furniture. It was not a perfect vacuum job, but the amount of dust removed was significant. I did run over something that made the vacuum unhappy, but I could not find it, and soon, the mechanical screaming stopped, and I was back to pushing it around.

After that, I cleaned the toilets and sinks and the window and woodwork around the wall in the smaller bathroom. The Volvo Cave has a main bath with a tub and a half bath off of the master bedroom (14,800 square feet, three bedrooms, 1.5 baths, two-car garage—somehow always getting smaller–and currently valued at an inflated $475,000). I will mop the bathrooms and clean showers and tubs soon.

With that done, I was sweaty and covered in dust and cleaning stuff. I took a shower, dressed, and was ready for the rest of the day in a Star Wars T-shirt and brown pants. I found a lunch of cold chicken and some Jambalaya leftovers for lunch. I am happy to report my weight fell to 230 for a moment.

I decided to do some more work on SMS Derfflinger 1916 as I would not have time this evening. It is important to try to complete something every day. I managed to fold tiny brass and glue some of the assemblies together with my special cement, G-S Hypo Cement, often used in watches and jewelry. I have completed all the assemblies. There are many tiny wicked parts to go, but I was happy to get through the assemblies. This is concentration to the max, and I usually only do this for an hour at a time.

Next, I rested until 5ish and then changed into my dress clothes for the show. I reheated a left over white potato, cooked, and had that with some sour cream and cheese and a cup of apple sauce as a light dinner. I took Air Volvo, with my new hat, to Beaver Creek MAX. And there we have connected back and finished Friday’s story.

Thanks for reading.